Snow Flower
by Singer of Water
Summary: After the death of her brother, Piper Farner had left Magnolia leaving behind her home. Years later she returns wanting to join the guild her brother had been a part of. Now she has to work along side a certain ice make wizard, who she is terrified of, all the while battling her past as she tries to find hope in her new found family. Gray/OC
Chapter 1

Rain poured down onto the stone paved streets of Magnolia as a group stood outside all dressed in black with their heads down. The sound of the rain hitting the roofs of buildings around the area and the streets nearly drowned out the sniffing and sobbing that were coming from the group. Many were huddled together to comfort each other and to stay warm. Some held umbrellas over their heads while others could care less about the rain drenching them. They were all distracted as they stared at the grave in front of them.

Standing before the grave and addressing it and the people was a small old man. Tears were in his eyes as he stared solemnly at the grave.

"Nicholas Farner was a brave and hardworking young man. He was a beloved member of Fairy Tail and we could not have asked for a better partner and family member," the old man spoke. "He will be missed dearly, but he would not want us to grieve on his passing. He would want us to remember him as his was and continue on with our lives. Just as he has taught us to always look forward to the future that is what we will do for his last wish." He turned to the grave, placing a hand on it. "We will miss you, Nicholas."

The group slowly left the cemetery one by one after they said their goodbyes. It was slow moving and agonizing, but eventually the crowd dispersed.

Once everyone had gone a small figure crept out from the tree line that surrounded the cemetery. Cautious steps were taken as the figure walked up to the grave. Immediately they fell to their knees and tears poured down their face.

"Why did you have to go, Nicholas?" a small voice sobbed. Her light red hair fell in front of her face as she hung her head. "I didn't even get to see you one last time. Why? Why did you leave me alone?" Her head shot up when she heard footsteps behind her. Whipping around she coward into herself when she saw someone approaching her. "Please, don't hurt me," she whimpered.

"Do not be afraid, child, I won't hurt you," the old man spoke. He stared at the little girl as she continued to cower, covering her face with her arms. In his eyes this child had seen too much harm, but the answer was why? "You are Nicholas's sister, Piper, aren't you?" He smiled lightly when he saw the little girl peek an eye out from under her arm. "He spoke a lot about you. He loved you dearly. I am surprised he never brought you to the guild hall before." The old man looked around the area, his brow furrowing. "Nicholas had told me about you, but very little about your parents. Where is your father?"

The little girl's eyes widened at the question. In a split second she had jumped to her feet and bolted down the street. Not bothering to look back she ran. She ran pushing her legs to get her far away. She had kept her head down to hide her face from the rain only to end up bumping into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" a little boy with dark hair shouted, turning on the girl.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked out before running past him and the little boy and girl that were with him.

"Man, what's her problem," the dark haired boy grumbled.

"Master," the little girl said, turning to the old man as he walked up to the three, "who was she?"

"That was Nicholas's little sister," the old man said, watching as the little girl turned a corner.

"Really?" the other little boy said, eyes going wide as he tried to catch a glimpse of her before she completely vanished down the street. "Man, she's luck! She had a cool older brother."

The little girl brushed her red hair out of her face. "Why did she run, Master?"

"That I am not certain of. But I'm sure it won't be the last that we see of her."

ooOOoo

 **Ten years later**

"Approaching the stop for Magnolia!" one of the many train stewards announced as he made his way through the train cart.

Her head popped up at the announcement and her gaze moved from her lap to the cart's window. Outside was bright and sunny and she could see buildings for miles and miles. Magnolia was beautiful and lively as she could see all the people bustling around. A tiny smile graced her face at the sight. It was beautiful.

Quickly she gathered her things, running her hands through her short hair. She grabbed her bags from the storage above her seat and hastily made her way off the train. Stepping off and onto the train station platform the young woman stared at the sight in front. Her green eyes shone in curiosity as she looked around her. The buildings in front of her were taller than she remembered. Everything about the town seemed different. She was in awe. However, it was short lived as the rest of the people filed off the train, pushing and shoving her out of their way.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she squeaked as she quickly clutched her bags to her chest and ran out of the station.

Her heart raced as she quickly made her way through the town trying to find a place to rest so that she could calm down. A couple minutes into traveling through the town she found a bench, she quickly scurried over and took a seat. Taking deep breathes she slowly calmed her heart down.

She stared up at the sky, enjoying the soft breeze that blew through her hair. It had been so many years since she last set foot in Magnolia and thinking back to the reason as to why she left brought a pang of pain to her heart. She missed her brother so much and she needed to get away from the city to heal. However, the gorgeous town also brought back memories of fear…

She shuddered and a hand instinctively flew up to her cheek, covering the small scar that crossed it. _No, don't think about it. He's gone. You haven't seen him in ten years. You're safe._ she told herself.

She gathered her courage and got off the bench to begin her trek through the city once more. She had made a decision to come back to Magnolia for one reason and one reason only. To join Fairy Tail, the guild that her brother had been a part of. She had always looked up to him and dreamed of joining alongside him. But that was all crushed after his death along with the fact she had to get away from _him_.

 _Don't think about him._ she said as tears began to prick at her eyes. _You've gotten away from him. He won't find you._

She took another breath and looked up at the sky. Closing her eyes she let the sun's warmth flood her body. She always loved sunny days like this. It made her feel great and energized.

She sighed and looked around her. On each side of her were shops, restaurants, and bakeries. It was a cute city that had a friendly atmosphere. She missed that about the city. She smiled lightly before looking ahead of her and her smile fell. She didn't know where Fairy Tail's guild was. Panic restricted her breath and she whipped her head from side to side trying to figure out where she was and where the guild was.

"Um…uh…" she stuttered as she looked at the different people walking past her. "Um…e-excuse me… Um…can you he-help me, pl-please? Ma'am…uh sir…?"

"Do you need help?"

The red haired girl turned around quickly to see a blonde haired girl about her age standing in front of her. The girl had a friendly smile on her face and didn't look at all threatening, much to the red head's relief.

"Um…um…yes…" she whispered almost cowering into herself. "I'm…I'm….looking for Fairy Ta-Tail…" she said barely in an audible whisper.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" the blonde asked, her head tilting to the side.

"I'm…I'm loo-looking for the Fairy Tail guild…"

"Oh that's easy, I can show you!" the blonde said, her face lighting up. "I'm heading there myself. My name's Lucy Heartfilia; I'm a member of Fairy Tail," she said, holding up her hand to reveal a pink Fairy Tail emblem.

The red headed girl's face softened into a look of relief at the sight. "Thank you. I'm Pi-Piper Farner."

"Nice to meet you, Piper!" Lucy said, the smile still on her face. "Are you planning on joining?"

Piper nodded her head, a small smile on her face. "Yes."

"Oh that's great! Come on!" Lucy said, leading the way down the street. "So what kind of magic do you have? I'm a celestial wizard."

Piper's mouth fell open into a small gasp. "A celestial wizard? That's amazing." A celestial wizard? She had never met one before and it only intimidated her a little. Compared to that she wasn't sure how great her magic would be compared to Lucy's. "I use-use plant magic."

"Whoa, really? That's so cool! That has to be beautiful too. How long have you been practicing?"

"Ei-eight years…"

"That's a long time. You must be good!"

"Not…not really…no."

 _You're useless, you little brat!_

Piper clutched at her bags and hung her head at the memory. She did her best to push it to the back of her mind, she didn't want to concern Lucy.

"Oh," Lucy said, glancing at the red head. She caught sight of the girl's solemn face and couldn't help, but feel a little bad. It definitely bothered Piper not having a lot of skills. "Well, don't worry about that, Piper. I wasn't that skilled when I first joined, but with the help of the guild I've been able to train and so can you. I'm still not great, but that only means I have room for to improve. Don't let yourself feel down."

Piper stared at Lucy, her eyes wide and mouth open. No one had encouraged her like that before; it made her heart skip a beat and her stomach fluttered. "Th-thank you so much, Lucy…"

"Of course!" Lucy grinned brightly to her new friend. "We're here!"

Piper looked up and was in awe at the sight of the large building. It was had different colors spread across it and a large sign with the name Fairy Tail labeling the building. It was magnificent! She never thought she'd see the guild ever and here she was standing before it about to join.

Her legs shook. She couldn't move she was so nervous.

"Hey," Lucy said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She quickly retracted it when Piper flinched away. The blonde celestial wizard offered an encouraging smile. "Don't worry. Its a little nerve wracking when you first join, but once you walk in you'll feel right at home. Everyone will love to meet you."

Piper nodded and followed Lucy in. Right away the sound of chatter and laughter filled the plant wizard's ears. Her eyes shone in wonder as she looked around at everyone sitting around eating, drinking, and laughing. It looked like everyone got along well and it brought a small smile onto the red head's face. This guild looked wonderful.

"Hey, Lucy!" someone shouted.

Lucy and Piper looked over and saw a pink haired boy running up to them with a blue cat flying over his shoulder.

"Hey, Natsu!" Lucy greeted.

"Who's this?" the boy named Natsu asked, looking Piper up and down as if sizing her up. It only made the girl squirm under his gaze, fear slowly creeping into her veins.

"This is Piper," Lucy said brightly. "She's joining the guild!"

"Really? Awesome!" Natsu said, smiling a wide smile at the new face. "Welcome to Fairy Tail! Maybe later you and I can fight and see what you've got."

"Seriously, Natsu. She hasn't even joined yet and you're already trying to pick a fight?" Lucy said with an eye roll. "Can't you just leave someone be without wanting to fight them. Come on, Piper, we can take you to Master Makarov."

"O-okay," Piper said, her body shaking as she followed Lucy and Natsu through the guild. All around her she could feel eyes on her as everyone took a look at the possible new member. She clutched her bags and hid her hair with her long side bangs. Sometimes she wished she still had her long hair to hide behind. But she guessed the long bangs that framed her face would have to do.

"Master Makarov," Lucy greeted as she, Natsu, and Piper approached the bar in the back of the guild.

"Hello, Lucy!" a white haired woman greeted with a bright, friendly smile.

"Hello," a short man who was sitting at one of the stools greeted. "Who are you, dear?"

"Pi-Piper Farner…" Piper squeaked.

Master Makarov's face went to shock, but slowly grew to a friendly smile. "You're Nicholas' sister. It's nice to see you again."

"No way! You're Nicholas' sister?" Natsu exclaimed, mouth dropping as he stared at the red head.

Piper nodded and pursed her lips. "I am…"

"I'm sorry about Nicholas, Piper. But it is an honor to meet you. He spoke fondly of you," Makarov said, smiling lightly at the young woman. "Are you here to join Fairy Tail?"

Piper nodded. "Ye-yes, sir."

"Wonderful!" the master said, a large smile on his face. "Mirajane will get you your emblem."

"What color and where would you like it?" the woman behind the bar asked, a bright smile on her face. In her hand was a stamp that Piper guessed had the guild's emblem.

"Um…uh…green and here," she said, pointing to the inside of her right wrist.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Mirajane exclaimed after stamping Piper's wrist.

"Th-thank you…" Piper said, a smile and blush on her face as she stared at the newly stamped emblem.

"So you're Nicholas' little sister," Natsu said, grabbing the girl's shoulders as he stared at her expectantly. "That means he taught you how to use magic right?"

The plant magic wizard flinched, eyes going wide when Natsu grabbed hold of her. An image of large, rough hands grabbing her flashed through her mind. She quickly pushed him off, causing him to stumble into a chair behind him. He and everyone around them stared at the red haired girl who was shaking uncontrollably.

A hand flew to her mouth. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, muffled by her hand. "I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, hey," Lucy said, holding her hands up as she cautiously approached the cowering wizard. "Are you okay, Piper?"

"I'm sorry…" she said, falling to her knees.

"Piper," Makarov said, walking up to the new Fairy Tail member. "You are safe. You are among friends."

Piper looked up at him, tears pricking her eyes as she continued to cower. Looking from left to right she saw all the concerned and worried faces of the Fairy Tail members. Her new friends. Her new family. Looking back up at the master she nodded, taking his hand that he extended to her.

"I'm sorry…"

"No need to be sorry, my dear."

"Yeah, Natsu can be a little overwhelming sometimes," Happy said, smirking a little.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu said, glaring at the cat.

"What it means is you never know when to take things easy with people," a new voice called out.

Piper followed everyone else's gaze to the new comer. It was a boy, who looked to be the same age as her, Natsu, and Lucy. He had dark hair and eyes and was only wearing a pair of pants. On his chest was his Fairy Tail emblem in a dark shade of blue. He seemed familiar to her.

"Hello, Gray," Mirajane greeted. "How was the job?"

"A little harder than what I thought," the boy said, taking a seat at the bar. He glanced over at Piper and raised a brow. "Who's this?"

"This is our newest member, Piper Farner," Mirajane introduced, gesturing to the red head.

Gray's eyes widened. "You're Nicholas' sister then, right? Hey, nice to meet you," he said, holding out a hand to the girl. "I'm Gray Fullbuster."

Piper stared at his hand before slowing taking his hand in her shaking one. "Ni-nice to meet you too."

"Finally!" Natsu exclaimed, jumping in between Gray and Piper. "Took you long enough to get back here. I've been looking for someone to fight!"

"Seriously, man? I just get back and all you want to do is fight? Typical," Gray scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Go bother someone else, Flame Brain."

"What you scared?" Natsu smirked, his fist catching fire. Piper's eyes widened at the sight, taking a cautious step back.

"Of you? No," Gray said, glaring at the pink haired male.

"Then why don't you show me what you've got?" he said, throwing a punch at the other boy.

"Hey, man, knock it off!" Gray shouted, jumping out of his seat. "Fine! If it will get you off my back I'll fight you." Gray slammed his fist into the palm of his other hand, glaring at the fire wizard. "Ice-make lance!"

Piper's eyes widened as she watched a lance of ice appear out of Gray's hands. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach and her body began to shake once again.

" _You're useless!" he shouted followed by a sharp pain to her face. It was cold, burning._

 _She fell to the floor, clutching her cheek. She could feel warm liquid slipping through her fingers that mixed with the tears that were falling down her face. Staring up at the man she shook as he stared down at her with a wicked grin._

" _Come on, Pipie," he said, grinning widely as he approached her. Blue light came from his hand where Piper could see ice forming at his fingertips, it only made her body shake more. "You want to be like your brother, right? I'll show you how to use magic."_

 _Piper screamed as she felt the cold creep up her body followed by more pain._

The red haired girl fell to her knees, clutching her head. "NO!"

 **Hey. So I had started Fairy Tail after my sister and friends kept bothering me about it, telling me to watch it and right away I loved Gray. I love his magic and his backstory. I think he's a really great character and after a few episodes I started creating Piper. Originally I was going to have her use water magic since water and ice would be a great combo, but that was before Juvia came into the show so I changed her to plant magic.**

 **I'm not sure how often I will update this. I have quite a lot of ideas for this story, but I'm not sure how to connect them together yet. I'm also busy working on another story/series for Marvel and I've been trying to focus on that. However, Fairy Tail has my attention. I'm also debating on a Sting/OC story.**

 **I'd love to hear your thoughts on this because I'm not sure how well this chapter turned out and I'd appreciate any reviews with advice!**


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